Photography

You can make a smartphone camera of any quality better just by knowing a few tips to make the most of it.
While the average smartphone camera is increasing in quality — both in terms of hardware and software — at a rapid rate, some of the biggest strides in improving your photos can be accomplished regardless of the camera you use. Smarpthones have turned everyone into photographers, but...

A wide, sweeping shot can do wonders for perspective. But panoramas also can take a little practice. Here are a few tips.
A big part of the fun that is Android photography is being able to more than your typical point-and-shoot camera. It's a camera lens strapped to a computer, after all. And one of the easiest (and coolest) shots to shot is a panorama.
For the uninitiated (we know you're...

Here's what we think about HTC's RE camera now that we've used it a bit.
When HTC announced the RE camera in the fall of 2014, plenty of people were curious. HTC is branching out and building "lifestyle" products (their words, not mine) and started with an accessory that was odd-looking, yet intriguing. It didn't look like a handheld camera (or even a GoPro), but it had a 16-megapixel wide...

We've spent some time talking about photography and Android. The two things go together very well, and most of us want to take the best pictures we can when we pull out our phone to take one.
Here at AC, we're all Android fans at heart — just like you are. We want the same things you do out of the camera on our phones, and we want the best pictures we can get. Again — just like everyone...

You can tell a lot about a person by the wallpaper on their phone...
Be it a battery-efficient black wallpaper or one of the millions of pictures of your kids that has consumed every byte of free-space on your phone, a wallpaper says a lot about its user. Even if they're still using the bland, boring wallpaper that came with it. It says: my phone isn't here to look pretty, it's here to...

They say the best camera is the one you have with you.
That means that your Android smartphone is likely the camera you use the most and the one you'll be taking pictures off of the most. Nothing can be quite as frustrating as taking a picture you need to print out, or send off to the print shop, but not being able to get it off your phone and onto your necessary machine. And while there...

The HTC RE camera — the little handheld deal that connects to your Android or iOS phone and is basically just a hell of a lot of fun to use but has been a little overpriced — is on sale for half off at Best Buy. That's $99. And for us, that's a must-buy.

Your Android phone can take some great videos, as long as you know how to use it.
While there's a constant conversation about which Android device takes the best photos, the ability to capture decent video is something most smartphones are capable of nowadays. Whether you're grabbing a sneaky video of your friend tumbling face-first down the water slide into the pool or recording your...

Lighting is the most important part of any good photograph. Getting it right makes all the difference.
Anytime you see a discussion about photography, or read a set of tips and tricks for better pictures, you'll find talk about the lighting. It's the most important factor in the picture-taking process, and unlike settings and sliders to adjust your exposure, oftentimes we have no control...

There's a very important step between taking a photo and sharing it on your network of choice, and it can easily become the most enjoyable part of the mobile photography experience.
Smartphone cameras can do some incredible things nowadays, with new and even more amazing features being announced all the time. While it's important to have the tools to take a good photo, being able to edit...

There's more than one way to make sure you never lose a photo again. And these are some of the best.
It's 2015. There's absolutely no reason to ever lose a photo that you've taken on your smartphone. If anything, the bigger problem should be that you're saving too many pictures and have to cull them from time to time. (That's another post for another day, though.)
Then question, then, is...

Don't be afraid to try your camera settings.
Your Android probably has a decent camera right out of the box. If you never touch any of the settings, and remember a few basic techniques to get great pictures, you'll probably get those great pictures. But you can take things a step further by mastering a few basic controls in your camera app.
Knowing a bit more about how and why the basic...

Make the most out of the camera you have with you
There's an old saying about there being no such thing as a bad camera, only a bad photographer. While we aren't going to go that far, we can say that most any Android phone has a camera that can take great pictures — once you learn how things work and take a little time to do them.
Getting a good action-shot as it happens is an art to...

The HTC RE camera is one of those niche devices that tends to be a hell of a lot of fun for those who have one. As a reminder, it's a self-contained 16-megapixel camera in a waterproof body that's shaped like a periscope. It's easy to hold, easy to shoot with — still images, video, slow motion and time lapse — and it connects to your Android or iOS phone. (You also can use a microSD card if...

We've got some good news and some bad news for you Dropcam owners out there. If you own one of the older Original or Echo models, the bad news is you won't be able to use it for much longer. The good news is that the company is going to make it up by sending you a new one for free.

A few simple tips to get better shots from your Nexus 6's camera
Let's face it — Nexus devices aren't exactly renowned for their imaging prowess. Even with new additions like optical image stabilization (OIS) and HDR+ mode, the cameras of the Nexus 6 (and the Nexus 5 before it) are best described as finicky. It's possible to get great photos from the Nexus 6's 13-megapixel shooter with a...

While it feels like the big thing at CES this year is letting your smartphone act as the center of your connected world, the folks at Olympus are perfectly happy having their cameras do all the heavy lifting. Many Olympus cameras come with WiFi onboard now, and with that comes the opportunity to use your phone to help with photography. The Olympus Share app lets you use your phone as a remote...

HTC today at CES in Las Vegas announced thats its RE camera — a handheld, standalone shooter — will this week be updated for live streaming on YouTube. The RE Android application will receive an update for Android on Friday, Jan. 9. The iOS app will be updated later in Q1.
Once updated, you'll need to sign into your YouTube account from the RE app. Video will flow from the RE to your phone,...

Well, it's mostly a camera — but we're okay with that.
Panasonic is known far more for its cameras than its mobile phones, but the new Lumix CM1 combines its imaging expertise with a full-on smartphone experience to create one unique device. On one side is a standard phone experience with a familiar KitKat interface running on a 4.7-inch 1080p display and powered by a Snapdragon 801 processor...